Free agent Robinson, 33, was drafted in by Lee Clark because of a defensive injury crisis.

Clark was well aware of Robinson’s history with Blues over the Damien Johnson incident.

And Robinson himself addressed the issue head on, and insisted he would be nothing but totally committed to Blues.

“People remember things, which you’d expect,” said Robinson, who broke Johnson’s jaw in a clash towards the end of Blues - West Bromwich Albion derby in October 2006.

“The was a rivalry between West Brom and Birmingham at the time. It was understandable.

“As a person, I try to move on as quickly as possible and look to the future and now the future is that I’m a Birmingham player for a month and I’m fully committed and I will wear the shirt with pride and passion - that’s the type of player I am.

“Whatever club I have been at, I’ve always been the same.

“So this month I will be giving my full 100 per cent in trying to help this club up the league.”

The then Blues boss Steve Bruce was furious with the challenge, for which Robinson was sent-off.

Johnson was out for six weeks and had to take liquid foods through a straw.

The FA studied the incident and took no further action, but the matter rumbled on for months and to Blues fans, Robinson became public enemy number one.

So when the prospect of him joining Blues became possible, even after all these years, it sparked a big debate.

Robinson, was has been looking for a club after release by Bolton Wanderers in the summer, said at the time that he was jumping out of the way of Johnson’s challenge and caught him accidentally.

“It’s disappointing that people still remember it, in a sense. But I understand the point of view here.

“I was a West Brom player then and it was on a Birmingham player.

“It was a gutting time for me because it was a total accident.

“It was just one of those horrible moments you don’t want to be involved with in football.

“Off the field it was difficult, with all the press, for my family reading things. That was tough.

“But I tried to go in after the game and see how Damien was, and explain I didn’t mean it, the way it happened.

“But things get twisted and Steve Bruce got involved, which is understandable, he was Birmingham’s manager at the time and you appreciate that managers do come out and support their players. “For me, it was a tough time. It was a terrible accident, we’re both committed players and if I had come out of it injured, it would have been the other way round. I was devastated.

“I served the three game ban, which was hard, because you never want to miss football matches.

“But at the same time, I was still worrying about Damien because he was out for a long period.

“People don’t see that side of things. They just see what type of player I am on the pitch and they look at it that way, they don’t know what I’m like off the pitch.”

Johnson didn’t criticise Robinson, he just shrugged it off as ‘one of those things that happen in football’.

Blues have lost David Murphy (hamstring) and Pablo (chipped bone in foot) for a month, while Stephen Carr and Paul Caddis are long-term absentees.

Robinson, who has been training with Blues for a couple of weeks, said: “I was fortunate enough to get an opportunity here because of the injuries that occurred and I am looking forward to it. I still have a lot to offer as a player.”